Car door



Dec. 11, 1923. 1,476,950

7 c. A. CLARK v I CAR DOOR Filed April 11. 1921 FAQ. 2

INVENTOR.

C- 6 OL 19/? ATTORNEYS.

Patented Dec. 11, 1923.

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CAR noon] A eals filed April 11, 19 21. seria ize. 460,363.

To all w/zomit may concern Be it known that I, CHAnLns A. CLARK, a

citizen of the United States,,.and a resident of Sioux City, in the county of VVoodbury and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car Doors, of which the following isa specification.

My improvement hasfor its primary object the production of an improved closure, particularly adapted for the door-ways of railway freight cars. Another object of the invention is the production of. a railway freight car closure, embodying certain novel features of construction and arrangement of parts which insure stability and may be operated with ease.

Furthermore, the invention contemplates an improved railway freight car closure so constructed that it may be readily opened and closed and held dependably against accidental displacement in either opened or closed. positions.

Still another object of the invention is the production of a railway freight car closure, simple and inexpensive in construction, yet stable, thoroughly efficient and easily operated.

These and other objects. and advantages are successfully attained in the embodiment hereinafter described, defined in the appended claims and. illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this application, and in which like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views, of which Fig.1 is a fragmentary side elevation of a box car equipped with a preferred embodiment of my invention. i

Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical section of the upper portion of one of the closure members taken approximately on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a similar view of the lower portion of one of the closures taken approximately on the line 38, of Fig. 1.

l Vhile I have illustrated and hereinafter described the preferred embodiment of the invention, I would not be understood as.

being limited to such specific construction, for various alterations and modifications may be made in the details of construction and arrangement of parts herein disclosed, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, as defined in the appended claims.

Referring, now, to the illustrations t represents the side-wall of the box car,

having therein the usual door-way, 5. I

substitute for the usual sliding. elosure two closure members, 6, mounted side by side, to normally close the door-way and pivoted adjacent their upper remote corners, to

. These closure members may be constructed ofany suitable material, but in the embodiment chosen for illustration they are constructed of wood and their upper end parts are provided with cross bars, 7, positioned on the sides of the closures, adjacent the walls of the car. The said cross members project from the remote side edges of the closures. The said upper end portions of the closures are normally enclosed between the wall, 4, and a metal plate, 8, the upper edge portion of which is bent inwardly, as at 9, and suitably secured to the car to shelter the closures. The projecting end portions of the cross members, 7, are pivoted on bolts, 10, extending through the plate, 8, the said members, 7, and the wall, 1. The closures are so constructed and mounted that they normally meet at substantially the median line of the door-way.

The lower ends of the closures are curved concentrically with the respective pivots, 10, and are prevented from swinging from the wall of the car by guide members, consisting of plates, 11, secured to the car wall and having right angle offset portions, 12, between which and the wall of the car, the closures are freely positioned.

The said guide members are arranged con centrically with the pivots, 10, of the associated closures, which permits the closures being swung open from each other as clearly shown at the right, in Fig. 1.

I provide the lower end portions of the closures with U-shaped handles, 13, pivoted, as at 14,. on suitable bearings, 15, on the closures to swing vertically, the said handles being so positioned that they may be swung downwardly over the guide members to retain the closures in either opened or closed aositions, as will be readily understood from Fig. 1.

The upper edges of the closures and the cross-bars, 7, are preferably slightly inclined, as illustrated, to unobstruct the doorway when the closures are opened, and I prefer to interpose between the plate, 8, and the Wall of the car an intermediate block, 16, having its underside inclined both ways swing from and toward each other, to accordmgly close and open the. door-way.

ing closure-members pivotally supported adfrom its center, as at 17, to be normally engaged by the correspondingly-inclined upper edges of the closures.

Having thus 'deseribedmy invention, what 1 claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l. A closure of the type described, includjacent their upper remote corners to swing clined from their adjacent to their remote corners, and said car-structure having a double-inclined member at the door-way cooperative with said inclined members of said closure-members.

2. The combination with a car structure including its door-way, of two closure members for the doorway, a housing on the car structure above the door-way normally wvering the upper ends of the closure members, the upper ends of said closure members being inclined from their adjacent to their remote corners, lateral arms on the remote corner port-ions of the closure members pivoted within the housing, whereby the closure members may be swung toward and from each other to effect the closing and opening of the door-way;

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 31st day of March, 1921.

CHARLES A. CLARK. 

